May 2 of this year will mark the 25th anniversary of the dedication of our new chapel in our monastery here in Dublin.

The  Redemptoristine Nuns came to Dublin in March 1859 from Belgium to establish a monastery of their enclosed Order but could not immediately find a suitable place for the monastery. They lived for several years in a former orphanage on Drumcondra Road until they were finally able in 1872 to buy the place originally intended by St. John Henry Newman for a Catholic University.

The Sisters completed the construction of the monastery and church three years later.  They kept different animals, even cows, and used the produce of the great garden for their needs.

When over the years the monastery was no longer suitable for the needs of the older Sisters and renovating not possible, the community took a great leap of faith and decided to build a new modern equipped building.  The chapel was built according to the ideas of Vatican 2.

Some of you may recall assisting at Holy Mass and Benediction in the old monastery. It was very important for us to continue to provide a place of prayer where all could come for spiritual refreshment and solace.

~ The last Mass of the Community in the old Chapel ~

Funding for the new monastery came partly from the sale of the land. This allowed for the continued space and privacy necessary for the enclosed community.

Our previous monastery was bought by developers who have turned the area into lovely townhouses and the monastery into apartments. Our former church has been used as a place of worship by Coptic Christians for the past 11 years.

With the building of the present monastery, we are able to continue the tradition of being a center of prayer. You are most welcome to join us in chapel or by means of the webcam. We also receive prayer requests by internet from people in the country and many places in the world.

Our community today has vocations coming from several countries. We are international with the Lord sending vocations coming from Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, United States, Thailand and India.

In addition to our main remuneration of preparing altarbreads which the Sisters have been doing for 75 years, we also write icons, make candles and cards, and offer various hand made crafts forsale. These are available on our website:  https://www.rednuns.com/